Method for matching influencers to brands and pairing influencer videos to products for intra-video transactions

ABSTRACT

A method for generating advertising content includes: during a content creation period, receiving a video advertisement from an entity; packaging the video advertisement with a pointer to the entity and a checkout portal for content linked to the video advertisement to generate an augmented video advertisement; during a live period succeeding the content creation period, for a first instance of the augmented video advertisement accessed at a first computing device associated with a first user, associating a first purchase completed within the checkout portal of the first instance of the augmented video advertisement with the entity based on the pointer; and, for a second instance of the augmented video advertisement accessed at a second computing device associated with a second user, associating a second purchase completed within the checkout portal of the second instance of the augmented video advertisement with the entity based on the pointer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/895,485, filed on 3 Sep. 2019, which is incorporated in its entiretyby this reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to the field of digital marketing andmore specifically to a new and useful method for matching influencers tobrands and pairing influencer videos to products for intra-videotransactions in the field of digital marketing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a flowchart representation of a method;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart representation of one variation of the method;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic representations of an augmented videoadvertisement according to one variation of the method; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a checkout portal according toone variation of the method.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The following description of embodiments of the invention is notintended to limit the invention to these embodiments but rather toenable a person skilled in the art to make and use this invention.Variations, configurations, implementations, example implementations,and examples described herein are optional and are not exclusive to thevariations, configurations, implementations, example implementations,and examples they describe. The invention described herein can includeany and all permutations of these variations, configurations,implementations, example implementations, and examples.

1. Method

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3A, 3B, and 4, a method S100 for connecting athird-party (hereinafter a brand influencer or “influencer”) toparticular brands includes: during a matching period, receiving a set ofopportunities from brands at instances of a brand portal in Block S110;serving the set of opportunities to an influencer in a population ofinfluencers at an instance of an influencer portal based oncharacteristics of the set of opportunities in Block S120; receiving afirst selection of a first opportunity in the set of opportunities fromthe instance of the influencer portal in S130; calculating a predictedmatch score for a first pairing between the influencer and the firstopportunity based on predefined opportunity metrics and influencercharacteristics in Block S140; in response to the predicted match scoreexceeding a threshold match score, prompting the influencer to record afirst video advertisement for the first opportunity in Block S150;during a content creation period succeeding the matching period,receiving the first video advertisement from the influencer in BlockS152; packaging the first video advertisement with a pointer to theinfluencer and a checkout portal for product linked to the firstopportunity to generate a first augmented video advertisement in BlockS160; preparing the first augmented video advertisement for publicationto an online destination in Block S170; and, during a live periodsucceeding the content creation period, associating purchases withininstances of the checkout portal with the influencer based on thepointer in Block S180.

One variation of the method S100 includes: during a matching period,receiving a set of opportunities from brands at instances of a brandportal in Block S110; serving the set of opportunities to a firstinfluencer in a population of influencers at an instance of aninfluencer portal based on characteristics of the set of opportunitiesin Block S120; receiving a first selection of a first opportunity in theset of opportunities from the instance of the influencer portal in BlockS130; calculating a match score for a first pairing between the firstinfluencer and the first opportunity based on opportunitycharacteristics and influencer characteristics in Block S140; inresponse to the predicted match score exceeding a threshold match score,prompting the first influencer to record a first video advertisement forthe first opportunity in Block S150; during a content creation periodsucceeding the matching period, receiving the first video advertisementfrom the first influencer in Block S152; packaging the first videoadvertisement with a pointer to the first influencer and a visualelement for tracking user interactions to generate a first augmentedvideo advertisement in Block S160; returning the first augmented videoadvertisement, packaged with the pointer and the visual element, to theinstance of the influencer portal for publication within an onlinenetwork in Block S170; and, during a live period succeeding the contentcreation period, associating advertising outcomes with the firstinfluencer based on user interactions recorded at the visual element andthe pointer in Block S190.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3A, 3B, and 4, one variation of the method S100includes, during a content creation period: receiving a videoadvertisement, from a first entity, associated with a first brand inBlock S152; packaging the video advertisement with a set offeatures—including a first pointer to the first entity and a checkoutportal for content linked to the video advertisement—to generate anaugmented video advertisement in Block S160; and preparing the augmentedvideo advertisement, packaged with the pointer and the checkout portal,for publication to an online destination in Block S170. In thisvariation, the method S100 further includes, during a live periodsucceeding the content creation period: for a first instance of theaugmented video advertisement accessed at a first digital platform andexecuting on a first computing device associated with a first user,associating a first purchase—completed within the checkout portal of thefirst instance of the augmented video advertisement—with the firstentity based on the pointer in Block S180; and, for a second instance ofthe augmented video advertisement accessed at a second digital platformand executing on a second computing device associated with a seconduser, associating a second purchase—completed within the checkout portalof the second instance of the augmented video advertisement—with thefirst entity based on the pointer in Block S180.

2. Applications

Generally, the method S100 can be executed by a computer system to:connect influencers to particular opportunities—hosted by brands—mostrelevant to these influencers based on characteristics of these brands,characteristics of products associated with these brands, andcharacteristics of followers, demographics, and historical influencedata of these influencers; host a pathway for distributing internalcontent related to an opportunity between a brand and an influencer whohas committed to this opportunity; package visual content uploaded bythe influencer, a pointer or link back to the influencer, and a checkoutportal for purchasing a product presented in this visual content into ashoppable video or advertisement for the opportunity (e.g., a videoadvertisement or video content for general consumer consumption andconfigured to host an in-video purchase; and return this shoppable videoor advertisement (hereinafter “the advertisement”) to the influencer forpublication onto an online destination or online platform (e.g., avideo-sharing website, a photo or video-sharing social networkingservice, an online social media service, a blog, a website and/or asocial networking service). Later, once the influencer has published theadvertisement to an online destination, the computer system can executeBlocks of the method S100 to: host instances of the checkout portal forthe influencer's followers and other users who select the publishedadvertisement; complete checkout processes for followers and userspurchasing the product presented in the advertisement; associate thesepurchases (and other engagements with the advertisement) with theinfluencer based on a pointer (e.g., a UUID) associated with theinfluencer and packaged by the computer system into this advertisement;and support, host, or manage compensation from the brand to theinfluencer according to terms defined for first the opportunity andperformance of the advertisement (e.g., purchases through, views of,and/or other engagement with the advertisement).

More specifically, the computer system can serve, distribute, or exposeproduct opportunities—uploaded to the computer system by variousbrands—to particular influencers based on product type outlined in theseopportunities, target outcomes (e.g., purchases, brand lift) of theseopportunities, influencer or follower demographic information, and/orinfluencer reach, etc. In response to an influencer selecting aparticular opportunity and meeting a threshold criteria for acceptingthe opportunity, such as defined in terms specified for the particularopportunity by the corresponding brand, the computer system canautomatically: prompt the brand to confirm the influencer; present orexpose content supplied by the brand for the opportunity to theinfluencer within the influencer's portal; and/or trigger mailing ofphysical content (e.g., a physical product) associated with theopportunity to a mailing address in the influencer's profile. Thecomputer system can also enable tools for uploading new digital content(e.g., video clips, still images, audio clips), recording new digitalcontent, accessing digital content provided by the brand for theopportunity (e.g., a fact sheet, a list of talking points, and/or stockimages of the product), and/or compiling these digital content into anew advertisement for the particular opportunity. The computer systemcan then: package the new advertisement with a pointer to the influencer(e.g., a unique influencer ID) and a link to a checkout portal (or anintegrated, responsive checkout portal); enable the influencer todownload this new advertisement for manual publication to an onlinedestination; and/or automatically publish this new advertisement to oneor more online destinations, such as responsive to manual confirmationby the influencer.

For example, a particular brand may upload a new opportunity to thecomputer system via an instance of the brand portal. The computer systemcan then: load the new opportunity into a set of pending opportunities:and sort or score the new opportunity—in this set of opportunities—for aparticular influencer based on: target outcomes of the new opportunity,a compensation schema of the new opportunity, characteristics of aproduct (or service) described in the new opportunity, and/or influencercharacteristic preferences defined by the brand for the new opportunity(hereinafter “opportunity metrics”); and/or characteristics of theparticular influencer, characteristics of the particular influencer'sfollowers, and/or historical performance (e.g., number of followersreached by an advertisement, click-through conversion rates, conversionrates for particular product categories) of the particular influencer'scontent (hereinafter “influencer metrics”). The computer system can thenexpose or present this new opportunity to the particular influencer—viaher influencer portal—if a rank or score of the new opportunity exceedsa threshold rank or score, such as in (near) real-time upon receipt ofthe new opportunity or if this new opportunity is still pending once theparticular influencer has fewer than a maximum number of (e.g., four)opportunity commitments.

In this example, upon receipt of this new opportunity, the computersystem can also: initially identify a target group of influencers forwhom the new opportunity may be most relevant (e.g., most likely to beselected by these influencers and confirmed by the particular brand)based on the opportunity metrics assigned to the new opportunity andinfluencer metrics of these influencers; and then prompt theseinfluencers—via the influencer portal—to review and confirm the newopportunity (e.g., sequentially, starting with a particular influencerfor whom the new opportunity is predicted to be most relevant and movingto a next influencer if a previous influencer declined the newopportunity). Therefore, the computer system can streamline connectingbrands and products sold by these brands to target influencers who fitcertain criteria for advertising these products, such as histories ofstrong performances (e.g., high click-through or conversion rates) forsimilar brands, products, opportunities, or opportunity metrics. Morespecifically, by executing Blocks of the method S100, the computersystem can filter, rank, or prioritize opportunities served toinfluencers based on opportunities most relevant to these influencersand most likely to be confirmed by corresponding brands, thereby:reducing time from publication of a new opportunity to review andselection of the new opportunity by at least one influencer; maintaininghigh rates of acceptance of influencers who selected opportunities onthis platform by brands that uploaded these opportunities; andstreamlining and shortening time from publication of new opportunitiesto the platform to publication of digital video advertisements for theseopportunities by influencers.

The computer system can also: record outcomes of a video advertisementgenerated by an influencer for a particular opportunity, such as userviews, click-throughs, and purchases on this video advertisement;leverage a pointer to the influencer and a checkout portal packaged withthis video advertisement by the computer system to link these outcomesdirectly to the influencer (or to the influencer's profile); and thustrack performance metrics of the influencer's video advertisement andvalue created by the video advertisement for the brand. Therefore, thecomputer system can: enable the corresponding brand to access explicitdata relating to influencers and video advertisements that lead totarget outcomes for the opportunity; and automatically managecompensation between brands and influencers—such as according topredefined compensation schema defined in these opportunities—based onthese outcomes of video advertisements thus published by theseinfluencers via this platform. Additionally, by packaging videoadvertisements generated by the influencer with the pointer to theinfluencer, the computer system can track performance metrics of videoadvertisements generated by this influencer across multiple onlineplatforms (e.g., many online social media platforms, forums, new sites,mobile applications) regardless of the publisher. Therefore, for anadvertisement generated by the influencer and shared by many publishersacross numerous online platforms, the computer system can attributeoutcomes—such as views, clicks, and purchases—occurring at everyinstance of this advertisement published across these online platformsto the original influencer.

Additionally, the computer system enables brands and influencers toconsider predictions of outcomes before accepting influencer-opportunitymatches, such as based on a model linking opportunity metrics andinfluencer history to certain outcomes (e.g., viewability,click-through, conversion) specified for these opportunities. Bygenerating these predictions and returning these predictions toinfluencers and/or brands for new opportunities uploaded to theplatform, the computer system can enable influencers to view predictedcompensation (or “earnings”) associated with particularinfluencer-opportunity matches or to view a predicted reach (e.g., anumber of new followers) of video advertisements generated by theinfluencer for a particular opportunity while also enabling brandsinsight into predicted sales or predicted brand lift for an opportunityallocated to a particular influencer. Over time, the computer system canalso develop and refine a model linking influencer characteristics,influencer metrics, opportunity metrics, and opportunity outcomes forindividual influencers, clusters of similar influencers, and/or allinfluencers on the platform as the computer system collects outcome datafor new opportunities and related video advertisements on the platformover time and then leverage this refined model to improve outcomepredictions for future opportunities.

Furthermore, by packaging a video advertisement with a checkout portal,the computer system enables “in-video” purchase of (a physical and/ordigital) product presented in this advertisement. Therefore, rather thanrouting all users viewing instances of this advertisement to a differentwebpage or portal for initiating purchase of this product, the computersystem can instead: enable users to purchase the product (or “checkout”)directly within these instances of the advertisement; and definitivelyattribute each of these purchases (and views of the advertisement, andfailed conversions within the checkout portal) to the influencer whooriginally created the advertisement.

Additionally, in completing transactions at the augmented videoadvertisement, the computer system can promote a better experience forusers, influencers, and brands by: limiting duration from viewing theadvertisement to completion of a purchase; eliminating a need tonavigate to a second online checkout location to complete a purchase;eliminating a need to search for the product at the second onlinecheckout location; and reducing probability of failed conversions due tooverchoice and visibility of additional products at the second onlinecheckout location for users. Thus, by reducing effort required by a userto complete a transaction and concentrating the user's attention to theproduct in the form of an engaging influencer-generated videoadvertisement, the computer system can: reduce complexity for the user;increase user purchase confidence (and reduce potential for buyer'sremorse); and therefore increase probability of conversion. By thereforeincreasing probability of conversion by a user viewing the advertisementand directly attributing such conversion to the appropriate influencerwho generated the advertisement, the computer system can both improveoutcomes for the brand and streamline compensation of the influencer forhigher-quality, more engaging content.

3. Terms

As described above, an “influencer” is referred to herein as athird-party content creator distinct from a brand and who generatesmedia for publication on an online platform, such as videoadvertisements on behalf of various brands. For example, the influencermay “influence” the purchasing decisions of users (or “followers”)viewing video advertisements published to the online platform by theinfluencer. Thus, an influencer may generate and publish media in orderto persuade users to purchase a particular product or productsaffiliated with a particular brand.

In one variation, an influencer represents a third-party content creatorassociated with a minimum number of followers on an online platform oracross multiple online platforms (e.g., an online blog, a photo orvideo-sharing social networking service). Additionally or alternatively,an influencer can represent: a third-party content creator exhibiting alevel of knowledge in a particular field or topic related to contentgenerated by the influencer; and/or a third-party content creatorassociated with a particular brand, product, and/or topic and publishesmedia to one or more online platform on behalf of this brand or productor according to this topic.

As described above, a “brand” is referred to herein as a source of aparticular product or products. For example, a brand may partner with aninfluencer to generate a video advertisement for the brand and/or aparticular product affiliated with the brand.

As described above, a “user” is referred to herein as a consumer of avideo advertisement. For example, a user may access a particular onlineplatform and watch a video advertisement published by an influencerand/or brand on the particular online platform. Additionally, the usermay purchase a product or products advertised in the video advertisementvia the checkout portal within the video advertisement.

In one variation, a user represents a “follower” of a particularinfluencer on an online platform. For example, a follower may elect toview (or “follow”) media created by a particular influencer on an onlineplatform (e.g., an online blog, a photo or video-sharing socialnetworking service), and thus may view video advertisements generated bythis particular influencer and published on the online platform.

As described above, a “video advertisement” is referred to herein as adigital video: including content related to a particular product orproducts affiliated with a particular brand; generated by an influencerin order to persuade users to purchase the particular product orproducts; and configured for publication on an online platform.

4. Example: Influencer-Brand Pair

In one example, a particular brand may specify a new opportunity andupload the new opportunity via an instance of a brand portal. Theparticular brand may specify a set of opportunity metrics for the newopportunity including: characteristics of a product (or service)described in the new opportunity, a budget for the new opportunity, acompensation schema of the new opportunity, target outcomes of the newopportunity, target number of followers reached by an advertisement,target demographics of users reached by an advertisement, and/orlimitations for an influencer based on characteristics of theinfluencer. The computer system can then load the new opportunity andthe opportunity metrics defined by the brand via the instance of thebrand portal and sort the opportunity into a catalog for viewing viainstances of an influencer portal.

In this example, an influencer may access an instance of an influencerportal at a webpage or native application executing on her computingdevice (e.g., her smartphone). The computer system can prompt theinfluencer—via the influencer portal—to generate an influencer profilecontaining influencer characteristics and performance history including:a number and/or types of online destinations in which the influencerpreviously published branded and/or unbranded content; a number theinfluencer's followers on each of these online destinations; brands andopportunities previously committed to by the influencer; location anddemographics of the influencer; locations and demographics of theinfluencer's followers; the influencers interests and areas ofexpertise; etc. Once the influencer has generated an influencer profile,the computer system can serve a subset of opportunities, from the set ofopportunities to the influencer via the instance of the influencerportal. The influencer may sort and/or filter the subset ofopportunities (e.g., based on her interests and/or preferences), and thecomputer system can receive a selection of a particular opportunity inthe subset of opportunities from the influencer via the instance of theinfluencer portal. Upon receiving the selection of the particularopportunity from the first influencer, the computer system can serve theinfluencer profile to the brand associated with a link or pointer to theparticular opportunity via an instance of the brand portal forverification of the influencer by the brand.

Upon receiving verification of the influencer from the brand via theinstance of the brand portal, the computer system can present or exposevisual content generation tools (e.g., product fact sheets, stock imagesof products) received from the brand via the instance of the brandportal to the influencer via the instance of the influencer portal,thereby enabling the influencer to create advertising content for theparticular opportunity. The computer system can also: receiveadvertising content from the influencer via the instance of theinfluencer portal, such as in the form of a video; and package theadvertising content with a pointer to the influencer and a checkoutportal—for purchasing or accessing additional content linked to theparticular opportunity—into a packaged advertisement. The computersystem can then: return the packaged video advertisement to theinfluencer to manual uploading to an online platform by the influencer;return the packaged advertisement to an associate of the brand fordistribution; or automatically distribute this packaged advertisement toone or more online platforms on behalf of the influencer.

Later, a user (e.g., one of the influencer's followers) may view thepackaged advertisement at an online platform within a web browser orwithin a native application. When the user selects or swipes across aportion of the advertisement, the packaged advertisement canautomatically open a checkout portal to purchase a unit of theadvertised product or to learn more about the advertised product orservice. The packaged advertisement (or the computer system) can recordthis selection or subsequent purchase by the user and pair thisselection or purchase with the pointer to the influencer. The computersystem can then update influencer metrics for this opportunity in theinfluencer's profile to reflect this selection or purchase and updatecompensation for the influencer according to these metrics and acompensation model assigned to the opportunity

At a later time, when a new opportunity is uploaded to the platform, thecomputer system can: access influencer metrics contained in theinfluencer's profile, which reflects outcomes data for earlyopportunities completed by the influencer; access characteristics ofthese opportunities and related brands; extract opportunity and brandcharacteristics for this new opportunity; and predict outcomes of a newadvertisement generated by the influencer for this new opportunity basedon these influencer metrics, opportunity characteristics, and brandcharacteristics. The computer system can then selectively recommend thenew opportunity to the influencer based on this predicted outcome.

Therefore, the computer system can implement closed-loop controls to:incorporate influencer pointers and checkout portals into visual contentuploaded by the influencer for various opportunities; leverage thesepointers and checkout portals to link user interactions within thesevisual content to the user; predict outcomes of new opportunitiescompleted by the user; and selectively recommend new opportunities tothe influencer user based on these predictions, thereby improvingefficiency and effectiveness in reaching users and increasingconversions for both the influencer and brands.

5. Influencer Portal

The computer system enables influencers to generate advertising contentpublishable across a myriad of online platforms (e.g., social medianetworks, a native platform or application) and directly obtainattribution and recognition for purchases and/or other target outcomesachieved within advertisements created by these influencers.

5.1 Influencer Profiles

Within a distributed influencer network in which influencers (e.g.,individuals capable of influencing potential buyers of a product)connect with brands to advertise their products, a computer system canreceive opportunities specified by brands via instances of a brandportal and serve a subset of these opportunities to influencers viainstances of an influencer portal. More specifically, the computersystem can selectively serve the subset of these opportunities toinfluencers via instances of the influencer portal based on influencerprofiles accessed via the influencer portal and opportunity metricsspecified for opportunities by the brands via the brand portal. Forexample, for a influencer accessing a first instance of the influencerportal, the computer system can: prompt the influencer to provideinfluencer metrics including a number of followers (e.g., via aparticular online platform), a demographic of followers, a type(s) ofbrand (e.g., sporting equipment, home goods), etc.; and calculateadditional influencer metrics based on past opportunities includingconversion rate, click-through rate, brand lift, ads viewed, etc.

In one variation, the computer system can update the influencer profilein near real time to reflect outcomes of advertisements generated by aninfluencer and served to users at computing devices. For example, inresponse to a user clicking on an advertisement generated by aninfluencer and purchasing the advertised product, the computer systemcan update a click-through metric for both the current opportunity and atotal click-through metric for all opportunities selected by theinfluencer. In one implementation, the computer system can calculate aset of engagement metrics for each opportunity selected by the firstinfluencer including: a number of advertisements generated for anopportunity; a number of times the influencer shared an advertisement;viewability of an advertisement; a number of clicks, swipes, scrolls,etc. on an advertisement; a number of click-throughs for theadvertisement; a brand lift score; etc. Therefore, the computer systemcan track influencer performance data for advertising content generatedby influencers who completed opportunities and leverage these data toupdate influencer profiles, such as in (near) real-time.

6. Opportunities

Generally, brands may specify opportunities defining advertisingcampaigns for the brands or for particular products associated with thebrands via instances of a brand portal, and the computer system canreceive these opportunities via instances of the brand portal and servethese opportunities to influencers via instances of the influencerportal. More specifically, the computer system can: receive a newopportunity from a particular brand via a first instance of a brandportal; receive a set of opportunity metrics defining characteristics ofthe new opportunity and target outcomes of advertisements associatedwith new the opportunity; sort the new opportunity into a catalog ofopportunities based on the opportunity metrics; and serve the newopportunity to a subset of influencers via instances of the influencerportal based on the opportunity metrics.

In one variation, upon receiving a new opportunity from a brand via afirst instance of the brand portal, the computer system can prompt thebrand to input a set of opportunity parameters including: brandcharacteristics, product characteristics (e.g., for products associatedwith the new opportunity), a target outcome for advertisementsassociated with the new opportunity, size of an advertising campaignassociated with the new opportunity, budget for the advertisingcampaign, and/or compensation rate for influencers. Additionally, thecomputer system can prompt the brand to input a set of influencerlimitations including: presence on a particular online platform, anumber of followers via the particular online platform, an averagedemographic of followers, a threshold performance metric (e.g., minimumclick-through percentage for previous opportunities), etc. Based on thespecified opportunity parameters and the influencer limitations, thecomputer system can: calculate a set of opportunity metrics representingthe specified opportunity parameters; calculate an opportunity score byweighting opportunity metrics within the set of opportunity metrics;access a set of influencer profiles containing influencer scoresrepresenting influencer engagement metrics; and, in response to ainfluencer score falling within a threshold deviation from theopportunity score, prompt the influencer, via a first instance of theinfluencer portal, to record a first video advertisement for theopportunity.

7. Opportunity Gating

Once an opportunity has been received from an instance of the brandportal, the computer system can serve the opportunity to instances ofthe influencer portal. Based on a set of opportunity parameters definedby the brand, the computer system can sort the opportunity into acatalog that is searchable within the influencer portal. For example, aninfluencer may access the catalog at an instance of the influencerportal and select to view only a subset of opportunities contained inthe catalog based on product type (e.g., “sports” or “home goods”).Alternatively, the influencer may access the catalog and select to viewa different subset of opportunities based on user demographic (e.g.,“athletes” or “parents”). Therefore, the computer system enables aninfluencer at an instance of the influencer portal to more quickly findopportunities relevant to that influencer and to sort opportunitiesbased on preferences of the influencer.

In one implementation, the computer system can rank opportunities foreach influencer and serve the opportunities to the influencers in thisorder. For example, upon receiving a set of new opportunities frominstances of the brand portal, the computer system can: accessinfluencer profiles to calculate match scores for each influencer witheach opportunity in the set of opportunities; generate rankedopportunity catalogs for each influencer based on these match scores;and serve a ranked opportunity catalog to each influencer. The computersystem can calculate match scores by comparing opportunity metrics toinfluencer metrics (e.g., product types, number of followers,demographic of followers). Alternatively, the computer system cancalculate match scores by accessing a model linking opportunity metricsto influencer performance metrics (e.g., click-through conversion rate).Therefore, the computer system enables influencers to efficiently searchand accept opportunities most relevant to them, while enabling brands tomore efficiently access the most effective influencers for their brand.

In one variation, the computer system can rank all opportunities foreach influencer and then serve different sets of opportunities todifferent influencers based on rank. For example, the computer systemcan rank all available opportunities for a particular influencer, andserve only the first ten opportunities—sorted by rank (e.g., by matchscore, based on a particular metric specified by the brand)—to theparticular influencer, such as once per day.

Based on opportunity metrics specified by the brand for the opportunity,the computer system can weight the opportunity metrics to calculateopportunity scores. The computer system can weight the opportunitymetrics based on specifications by the brand, or by implementinganalysis techniques to determine which parameters are the bestindicators of advertising outcomes. Additionally, an influencer scorecan be calculated from influencer metrics accessed at the influencerprofile. The computer system can compare the opportunity score and theinfluencer score to generate an opportunity-influencer match score,indicative of the predicted probability of a certain target outcome.Opportunities can then be ranked and ordered by match scores and thenserved to instances of the influencer portal. Alternatively, thecomputer system can serve opportunities to instances of the influencerportal only where the match score exceeds a threshold match score.

In one variation, the computer system can serve the opportunity toinfluencers via instances of the influencer portal and implement acheckpoint after an influencer selects an opportunity. For example, thecomputer system can: receive a new opportunity from a brand via a firstinstance of the brand portal and calculate a set of opportunity metrics;distribute the new opportunity to a influencer via a first instance ofthe influencer portal; receive a first selection of the new opportunityfrom the influencer via the first instance of the influencer portal;serve an influencer profile associated with the influencer to the brandvia the brand portal; in response to receiving a second selection of theinfluencer by the brand, prompt the influencer to record a first videoadvertisement for the new opportunity.

Alternatively, in one variation, the computer system can distributespecific influencer profiles to instances of the brand portal, therebyimplementing the same/similar matching techniques. In this variation,the computer system can also enable brands to see influencers who maynot meet all criteria (e.g., number of followers, desired pay-out,target demographic) defined by the brand in the opportunity metrics.

7.1 Selective Opportunity Distribution

In one variation, a particular brand may specify a new opportunity andthe computer system can automatically push the opportunity to a targetgroup of influencers. The computer system can receive the newopportunity and send the new opportunity to a first group of influencersbased on characteristics of both the new opportunity and the group ofinfluencers. For example, the computer system can: receive a newopportunity from a particular brand; calculate a set of opportunitymetrics for the new opportunity based on characteristics of the newopportunity and target outcomes for advertisements associated with thenew opportunity specified by the particular brand; access a catalog ofinfluencer profiles defining a population of influencers and eachincluding a set of influencer metrics; calculate predicted match scoresbetween the population of influencers and the new opportunity; and, inresponse to the predicted match score for a particular influencer andthe new opportunity exceeding a threshold match score, prompt theparticular influencer to record a first video advertisement for the newopportunity via the influencer portal.

In one variation, the computer system can withhold particularopportunities from a particular influencer based on opportunityparameters specified by the brand. In particular, the computer systemcan: receive a new opportunity and a set of opportunity parameters froma brand via a first instance of a brand portal; sort the new opportunityinto an opportunity catalog based on the specified opportunityparameters; calculate a predicted match score between a influencer andthe new opportunity based on the opportunity metrics and a set ofinfluencer metrics; and, in response to the predicted match scorefalling below a threshold match score, distributing a subset ofopportunities, not containing the new opportunity, from the catalog ofopportunities to a first instance of an influencer portal associatedwith the influencer.

In another variation, the computer system can withhold particularopportunities from a particular influencer based on influencerlimitations set by the brand at the instance of the brand portal. Forexample, the computer system can receive an opportunity defining aninfluencer limitation of 50,000 followers on a particular onlineplatform. Rather than calculate match scores for all opportunities andall influencers, the computer system can automatically withhold thisopportunity from instances of the influencer portal in which theinfluencer has fewer than 50,000 followers on the particular onlineplatform. Therefore, the computer system can: receive a set ofopportunity metrics, defining a new opportunity, from a brand via aninstance of a brand portal; access an influencer profile of a influencervia an instance of the influencer portal to determine whether a minimumcriteria is met according to the opportunity metrics as defined by thebrand; and, in response to the influencer failing to meet a particularopportunity metric, withhold the new opportunity from the influencer.

In another variation, the computer system can withhold particularopportunities from a particular influencer based on predefinedinfluencer rules. For example, a particular brand may specify a newopportunity for a skin-care product. In response to an influencerrecently or previously accepting an opportunity (e.g., generatingadvertisement content) for a different skin-care product of a differentbrand, the computer system can withhold this opportunity from aninstance of the influencer portal associated with this influencer.Therefore, the computer system can implement influencer rules toautomatically withhold opportunities from particular influencers thatmay lead to conflicts of interest (e.g., an influencer working with twodifferent brands selling the same and/or similar products). For example,upon receiving an opportunity via an instance of the brand portal, thecomputer system can: receive a product type (e.g., characteristics of aproduct associated with the opportunity) for the opportunity; match theopportunity to a subset of influencers; access influencer history over aset previous period of time (e.g., 1 month, 6 months, 1 year) to check aproduct list for which advertising content was generated by theinfluencer; in response to a first influencer in the subset ofinfluencers accepting an opportunity for a product of the same producttype for a different brand within the set previous period of time,withhold the opportunity from the first influencer; and, in response toa second influencer in the subset of influencers accepting noopportunities for the same product type in the set previous period oftime, prompt the second influencer to generate an advertisement for theopportunity.

7.2 Transparent Gating

In one variation, the computer system can compare opportunity metricsreceived from instances of the brand portal with influencer metrics todetermine whether to serve a particular opportunity to an influencer.For example, a brand may specify a minimum number of online followersthat an influencer must possess in order to select the opportunity.Therefore, if a particular influencer does not possess the minimumnumber of online followers specified by the brand, the computer systemcan hide this opportunity from the catalog via a particular instance ofthe influencer portal associated with the particular influencer.Alternatively, the computer system can serve a secondary set ofopportunities to the particular influencer via the particular instanceof the influencer portal including opportunities specifying opportunitymetrics that may currently disqualify the influencer from selecting theopportunity, but that may be a match for the influencer in the future.For example, if a brand defines a new opportunity and specifies aninfluencer must have a minimum of 10,000 followers on a particularonline platform, the computer system can serve this new opportunity toan influencer meeting other criteria for the opportunity but with only90,000 followers in a secondary set of opportunities. Therefore, thecomputer system can enable influencers to see relevant opportunitiesthat may be available in the future, thus providing incentives toinfluencers for improving influencer performance.

Alternatively, any influencer may connect with any opportunityregardless of relevancy of the influence to the hosting brand.

8. Opportunity Confirmation/Influencer Verification

In one variation, the computer system can implement a verificationsystem to approve an influencer-opportunity match. The computer systemcan receive a selection of an opportunity from an influencer and pass aninfluencer profile of this influencer to a brand associated with theopportunity. The brand may then determine whether to select thisparticular influencer for the opportunity. Upon selection of theinfluencer by the brand, the computer system can notify the influencerof the match and provide additional brand and opportunity information(e.g., fact sheets, talking points) to the influencer to aid inadvertising content creation.

In another variation, the computer system can implement an automaticverification system to approve influencer-opportunity matches. Forexample, if an influencer-opportunity score falls above an upperthreshold score, the computer system can automatically prompt theinfluencer to record an advertisement for the opportunity, anddistribute advertisement content generation tools/materials to theinfluencer, and therefore bypass verification from the brand.Alternatively, the computer system can automatically approve anyinfluencer-opportunity match with a match score higher than a thresholdmatch score.

9. Opportunity Models

In one variation, the computer system can access a model linkingopportunity metrics (e.g., product type and/or target outcome) toinfluencer performance (e.g., click-through conversion rate foropportunities) to automatically serve opportunities to the mostqualified influencers for each opportunity. The computer system candevelop this model by serving advertising content generated by a firstgroup of influencers for various types of brands to a first group ofusers, and recording outcome data (e.g., click-through conversions,viewability, brand lift) resulting from serving these advertisements tothe first group of users. The computer system can learn correlationsbetween characteristics of the advertising content and characteristicsof the influencers who lead to particular advertising outcomes, andimplement analysis techniques (e.g., linear regression, artificialintelligence) to develop an opportunity model for predicting outcomes ofinfluencer-opportunity matches. As more advertising content is generatedfrom these influencer-opportunity matches, the computer system cancontinually update the opportunity model to refine predictions. Forexample, the computer system can determine that product type is the mostimportant opportunity metric for predicting outcomes ofinfluencer-opportunity matches. Therefore, the product type metric maybe weighted higher in the opportunity model than other opportunitymetrics when predicting match scores.

Alternatively, the computer system can develop and refine an opportunitymodel for each influencer rather than an opportunity model for theinfluencer population. In this variation, the computer system caninitially access the general opportunity model to serve opportunities toa particular influencer, and then refine the opportunity model for thisinfluencer as more advertising content is generated by this particularinfluencer and additional outcome data for advertisements associatedwith this particular influencer is available.

In one variation, the computer system implements the opportunity modelto automatically identify influencers who match parameters of anopportunity published by the brand. For example, when the computersystem serves an opportunity to an influencer, it can also calculate apredicted outcome (e.g., click-through conversion rate) foradvertisement content generated by the influencer for this opportunity.Upon receiving an influencer's acceptance of the opportunity, thecomputer system can also serve this predicted outcome to the instance ofthe brand portal, thus enabling both the brand and the influencer toconsider predicted outcomes before engaging in advertisement contentcreation.

Additionally or alternatively, the computer system can predict anopportunity value representative of predicted value (e.g., income,increase in influencer reach) the influencer may derive from anopportunity and distribute this opportunity value to the influencer atthe instance of the influencer portal. For example, the computer systemcan calculate a predicted opportunity value for the influencer includinginfluencer compensation (e.g., where compensation to the influencer isbased on the outcome, such as proportional to a total quantity ofconversions via a resulting augmented video advertisement). Therefore,the computer system can enable the influencer to consider a predictedvalue of this opportunity before accepting the opportunity.

10. Content Creation & Packaging

Generally, once an influencer has selected an opportunity and theinfluencer has been confirmed by the brand associated with theopportunity, the computer system can distribute brand content to theinfluencer via an instance of the influencer portal to enable theinfluencer to record visual content. More specifically, the computersystem can: receive a selection of an opportunity via an instance of theinfluencer portal; receive content generation tools (e.g., product factsheets, graphics for incorporation in visual content, tip sheetsincluding “talking points”) from an instance of the brand portalassociated with the opportunity; and distribute these content generationtools to the instance of the influencer portal to enable advertisingcontent generation by the influencer. Additionally, the computer systemcan enable “chat windows” between brands and influencers to furtherfacilitate advertising content generation. Upon receiving visualadvertising content from the influencer via the instance of theinfluencer portal, the computer system can prepare the advertisement forpublication within an online destination and distribute theadvertisement to the influencer portal and/or brand portal. Therefore,the computer system can enable communication between brands andinfluencers via their respective portals, thus enabling influencer-brandconnection, communication, advertising content generation, andadvertisement distribution to occur via the influencer and brandportals.

In one variation, the computer system can: receive visual contentrecorded by the influencer and uploaded via an instance of theinfluencer portal; package the visual content with a pointer to theinfluencer to generate a first video advertisement; and distribute thefirst video advertisement to the instance of the influencer portal, theinstance of the brand portal, and/or to an ad server for distributionwithin online destinations. In one variation, the computer system cangenerate an advertisement including a checkout portal, enabling in videocheckout of advertised products. For example, users viewing theseadvertisements on websites or native applications of a computing devicecan interact with an advertisement (e.g., click, swipe) and the computersystem can display a checkout portal in a viewing window of the mobiledevice for the user to complete a purchase of the advertised product.

In one variation, once the advertising content is received, the computersystem can wrap the advertisement with additional features to generatethe advertisement. The advertisement can include: a checkout portal; apointer to the advertised product, distribution, warehousing company,brand, etc.; a pointer to a bank account; a pointer to the influencer;and advertising content generated by the influencer.

Upon packaging the checkout portal, the pointer, and/or other featuresinto the advertisement, the computer system can return the packagedadvertisement (hereinafter the “augmented video advertisement”) to theinfluencer, brand, and/or any other entity (e.g., third-party entity)for sharing the augmented video advertisement online. The computersystem can then return the augmented video advertisement to theinfluencer (and/or to the brand) in the form of a video file or as ahyper-link (e.g., URL). The influencer (and/or the brands) may then postthis video file or the hyper-link to online platforms and networks onwhich other users may view the augmented video advertisement and accessthe checkout portal.

Regardless of the entity sharing the augmented video advertisement orthe link, the computer system can attribute purchases or other outcomesto the appropriate influencer or content creator based on the pointer.Therefore, the computer system ensures that each instance of anaugmented video advertisement, at each online platform, and shared byany entity, is associated with the original influencer responsible forgenerating the advertising content. Thus, the computer system enablesinfluencers to directly measure their value and reach for eachopportunity accepted by these influencers.

10.1 Checkout Portal—Purchases

The computer system can package a video advertisement with a checkoutportal for content linked to the video advertisement. As shown in FIGS.3A, 3B, and 4, when a user indicates she wishes to purchase a productadvertised in the video advertisement (e.g., by gesturing over the videoadvertisement), the computer system can display the checkout portal andinitiate a checkout process for the user within the checkout portal.

For example, during a content creation period, the computer system can:receive a video advertisement from a first entity (e.g., influencer,content creator); and package the video advertisement with a pointer tothe first entity and a checkout portal for content linked to the videoadvertisement to generate an augmented video advertisement. Later,during a live period succeeding the content creation period, in responseto a completed purchase by a user within the checkout portal, thecomputer system can associate this completed purchase with the firstentity based on the pointer.

In one variation, the computer system can overlay the checkout portalover a portion of the video advertisement, such that the portion of thevideo advertisement is visible to a user throughout the checkout processat the checkout portal.

During the checkout process, within the checkout portal, the computersystem can prompt the user to input purchasing information such as: username; credit card information; billing address; shipping address; etc.

In one variation, within the checkout portal, the computer system canprompt the user to specify product selections. For example, for a videoadvertisement for winter gear accessories, the computer system canprompt the user to input a set of product selections including: a typeof winter gear (e.g., hat, gloves, scarf); a size (e.g., women's S/M/L,men's S/M/L); a color preference (e.g., white, black, gray); etc.Additionally, the computer system can prompt the user to input userinformation and payment details for completing a purchase. Thus, thecomputer system can execute complete transactions including selection ofproducts and recovery of payment at the checkout portal within theadvertisement.

10.2 Visual Element—Engagement Data

Before returning the augmented video advertisement to the influencer,the computer system can also package the video advertisement with avisual element configured to record interactions (e.g., view durations,clicks, scrolls) of a user viewing the augmented video advertisement.The computer system can then leverage these recorded interactions toestimate engagement data (e.g., viewability, click-through rate, brandlift) for this user and all other users interacting with the augmentedvideo advertisement. Additionally, the computer system can return thisengagement data to the brand associated with the augmented videoadvertisement in (near) real-time and thus enable brands to makedecisions related to these augmented video advertisements throughout anadvertising campaign. Further, the computer system can return thisengagement data to the influencer responsible for creating the augmentedvideo advertisement, such that each user interaction (e.g., view, click,scroll, purchase) and the associated engagement data for this augmentedvideo advertisement is directly attributed to this influencer. Thecomputer system can store this engagement data at the influencer profilethus enabling the influencer to clearly derive a value of her work tobrands and/or modify or strengthen aspects of her work based on thisengagement data.

10.3 Interactive Features

In one variation, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, in addition to thepointer to the influencer and the checkout portal, the computer systemcan package the advertisement with features configured to engage theuser with the augmented video advertisement, the brand associated withthe augmented video advertisement, and/or the influencer. The computersystem can display these features within or over the augmented videoadvertisement responsive to user inputs. For example, the computersystem can receive a video advertisement, from an influencer, associatedwith a brand, and package the video advertisement with a set of featuresincluding a pointer to the influencer and a checkout portal. Further,before distributing the augmented video advertisement back to theinfluencer, the computer system can package the video advertisement withadditional features such as: an influencer feature configured tointroduce a user to the influencer and/or direct a user to a firstexternal destination (e.g., website, profile) associated with theinfluencer; a brand feature configured to introduce the user to thebrand and/or direct the user to a second external destination associatedwith the brand; a product feature configured to communicate details of aproduct advertised in the augmented video advertisement; additionalfeatures configured to generate user interest in the product or contentof the augmented video advertisement; etc. For example, for a videoadvertisement for a baking sheet, the computer system can package thevideo advertisement with a set of “pop-ups” configured to display overthe augmented video advertisement responsive to user inputs, the set of“pop-ups” including: a cookie recipe curated by the influencer; a briefdescription and link to the influencer's baking blog; a briefdescription of the cookie sheet; and a brief description of similarproducts with a link to a webpage of the brand's baking products.

To enable user access to these features, the computer system can overlaythe video advertisement with a set of icons configured to receive userinputs (e.g., clicks, swipes, gestures). For example, the computersystem can overlay the video advertisement with a first icon configuredto: receive a click input from the user; and trigger activation of thecheckout portal responsive to the click input. Thus, in response toreceiving a click input from the user at the first icon, the computersystem can display the checkout portal to the user. The computer systemcan overlay the video advertisement with additional icons configured toreceive inputs from the user and trigger activation of additionalfeatures (e.g., “pop-ups”).

11. Transactions

In one variation, the computer can process transactions between usersviewing the advertisements and the brands advertising their products.For example, the computer system can: in response to a user input on theadvertisement at a computing device, overlay a checkout portal over aportion of the advertisement; receive inputs from the user forcompleting the transaction (e.g., user name, credit card information,user address); and distribute the inputs from the user to the instanceof the brand portal associated with the advertisement. Therefore, thecomputer system can process the financial transaction and distribute theinformation back to the brand for preparing and delivering the order tothe user. Additionally, upon completing the transaction, the computersystem can check the pointer included in the advertisement to determinethe influencer associated with the advertisement and update thisinfluencer profile to include this transaction.

In one implementation, the computer system can prompt a user to storetheir information for future purchases. Additionally, the computersystem can store a user's personal information so that a user maycomplete a purchase with a single input at the computing deviceassociated with the user. For example, in response to a vertical swipeby the user across an advertisement rendered on the user's computingdevice, the computer system (or the user's computing device, or thepackaged advertisement) can: access this user's stored information(e.g., name, credit card information, address); automatically process atransaction representing a purchase of a unit of the product advertisedin the advertisement; distribute the user and transaction information tothe instance of the brand portal associated with the product; and,notify the user of the received transaction, all while the advertisementis still visible in a viewing window of the user's computing device.

12. Advertising Campaign

The computer system enables brands to advertise content across a myriadof online platforms (e.g., social media networks, a native platform, amobile application) and directly attributes engagement metrics (e.g.,clicks, scrolls, views, purchases, conversions) to particularadvertisements, brands, and influencers. Additionally, the computersystem can enable brands to advertise content by matching brands withparticular entities (e.g., influencers, content creators) who fitcertain criteria for advertising these products and who may thereforeinfluence users more likely to perform target outcomes (e.g.,conversion, brand lift) specified by these brands.

For example, a brand (e.g., a brand representative) may access aninstance of a brand portal (e.g., via a computing device) and generate abrand profile. The computer system can prompt the brand to input a firstopportunity (e.g., an advertising opportunity). Additionally, thecomputer system can prompt the brand to input opportunity parameters forthe first opportunity, such as characteristics of a product associatedwith the opportunity and/or a target outcome (e.g., minimum conversionrate).

Further, the computer system can prompt the brand to input preferencesrelated to influencer characteristics (or “influencer limitations”).Based on this information, the computer system can generate a list ofinfluencers matched for the first opportunity and distribute this listto the brand at the instance of the brand profile. Thus, the computersystem enables the brand to filter through a population of influencersand find a subset of influencers best for the first opportunity asdefined by the brand.

Additionally or alternatively, the computer system can enable selectionof the opportunity by influencers via corresponding instances of theinfluencer portal. The computer system can notify the brand—at aninstance of the brand portal—if an influencer selects the firstopportunity and prompt the brand to approve or deny a match with theinfluencer.

Upon matching with an influencer, the computer system can prompt thebrand to provide materials to the influencer to aid in content creationby the influencer. For example, the computer system can host directcommunications between the brand and the influencer via correspondinginstances of the brand and influencer portals. The influencer may thenincorporate this content into a new video advertisement featuring thebrand or a product specified by the first opportunity.

Once the influencer has recorded and uploaded this video advertisementfor the first opportunity, the computer system can package the videoadvertisement—with a checkout portal and pointer to the influencer andto the brand—to generate an augmented video advertisement. The computersystem can then return this augmented video advertisement to theinfluencer, who may then post (or “share”) the augmented videoadvertisement across various online platforms or networks. Additionallyor alternatively, the computer system can present the augmented videoadvertisement to the brand via the brand portal, and the brand (e.g.,the brand representative) may similarly post the augmented videoadvertisement across the same or other online platforms or networks.

As the augmented video advertisement is posted onto online platforms ornetworks, the computer system can: track engagement data for eachinstance of the augmented video advertisement viewed by a population ofusers; associate these engagement data with the brand and the influenceraccording to brand and influencer pointers stored in the augmented videoadvertisement; and return these engagement data back to the brand (e.g.,via the corresponding instance of the brand portal). More specifically,the computer system can leverage the brand pointer stored in theaugmented video advertisement to link each instance of the augmentedvideo advertisement—viewed across various online platforms andnetworks—back to the brand, regardless of whether the brand, theinfluencer, or another user posted or shared this augmented videoadvertisement, thereby enabling the brand to track engagement (e.g.,views, view durations, clicks, scrolls, purchases) with this augmentedvideo advertisement over time. (The computer system can similarlyleverage the influencer pointer stored in the augmented videoadvertisement to link each instance of the augmented videoadvertisement—viewed across various online platforms and networks—backto the influencer who generated the video advertisement, enable theinfluencer to access these engagement data, and/or automaticallydistribute compensation to the influencer according to these engagementdata.)

For example, if a user makes a purchase of a product within an instanceof the augmented video advertisement, the computer system can record: alocation of the user; a time of day; an online platform at which theuser viewed the augmented video advertisement; advertisement metadata;and/or an operating system of the user's device. The computer system canthen store these data in association with the augmented videoadvertisement, the brand, and the influencer. By repeating this processfor each view of and/or purchase through the augmented videoadvertisement and aggregating these data for the augmented videoadvertisement, the brand, and/or the influencer, the computer system canenable the brand to track progression of this augmented videoadvertisement (or a greater advertising campaign including thisaugmented video advertisement) over time. The computer system can alsodirectly correlate these engagement metrics (e.g., views, purchases)recorded at instances of the augmented video advertisement to theparticular augmented video advertisement, the product specified in theopportunity associated with the augmented video advertisement, and/orthe influencer who generated the augmented video advertisement.

Additionally, upon purchases within instances of the checkout portalpackaged within the augmented video advertisement, the computer systemcan process payments from users and directly allocate a portion ofpayments to the brand based on the pointer and allocate an additionalportion of payments to the appropriate influencer on behalf of thebrand.

Therefore, the computer system enables the brand to track engagement andconversion data for an augmented video advertisement generated andpublished on behalf of the brand—but not generated or solely publishedby the brand itself—over time and adjust an advertising campaign relatedto the augmented video advertisement accordingly. Thus, the computersystem enables brand access to engagement and conversion data extractedfrom user interactions with augmented video advertisements generated bya third party other than the brand but otherwise presenting products andcontent related to the brand.

11.1 Advertising Campaign Updates

Later, upon completion of the advertising campaign, expiration of anengagement between the influencer and the brand, expiration of aspecified duration of the corresponding opportunity, or lack of furtheravailability of the product presented in the augmented videoadvertisement, the computer system can disable the checkout portalwithin all instances of the augmented video advertisement shared on anyonline platforms and networks. For example, the brand may specify anactive duration (e.g., days, weeks) of an augmented video advertisementgenerated according to an opportunity. Thus, once the augmented videoadvertisement is first posted to an online platform or network, thecomputer system can enable purchases within instances of the augmentedvideo advertisement for the active duration and then disable purchaseswithin instances of the augmented video advertisement once the activeduration expires. In another example, the brand may specify an end dateof the advertising campaign associated with the opportunity. Thus, thecomputer system can enable purchases within instances of the augmentedvideo advertisement—associated with the advertising campaign—until thescheduled end data of the advertising campaign. (However, the computersystem can continue to record engagement data for the augmented videoadvertisement and return these engagement data to the brand (long) afterthe active duration expires or the advertising campaign concludes.)

Similarly, the computer system can access pricing updates for theproduct depicted in the augmented video advertisement over time.Accordingly the computer system can update the augmented videoadvertisement and/or the checkout portal within the augmented videoadvertisement to reflect changes in pricing of the product depicted inthe augmented video advertisement.

13. Virtual Wallet

In one variation, the computer system can host a virtual wallet andhandle compensation—such as in the form of financial transactions withfiat currency or in the form of brand discounts—between influencers andbrands based on perforated of advertisements published by theseinfluencers and linked to opportunities posted on the platform by thesebrands. In this variation, an influencer can link financial accountinformation to her influencer profile on the platform, and the computersystem can automatically distribute compensation from a brand'sfinancial account to the influencer's account—such as in real-time orupon conclusion of an advertisement campaign or opportunity period—basedon views, click-throughs, and/or purchases within an advertisementpublished by the influencer for an opportunity associated with thebrand.

In one variation, the computer system can directly distributecompensation to both influencers and brands for transactions occurringwithin advertisements generated by these influencers and publishedacross many platforms. For example, for a first video advertisementreceived from a first influencer and associated with a first brand, thecomputer system can package the video advertisement with a set offeatures to generate an augmented video advertisement, the set offeatures including: a first pointer to the first influencer; a secondpointer to the first brand; and a checkout portal for content linked tothe video advertisement. Later, during a live period (e.g., once theaugmented video advertisement has been shared across digital platforms),the computer system can: for a first purchase at a first instance of theaugmented video advertisement, associate the first purchase with thefirst influencer and the first brand based on the first and secondpointer; calculate a first proportion of the first purchasecorresponding to the first influencer; calculate a second proportion ofthe first purchase corresponding to the first brand; and distribute thefirst proportion and the second proportion to the first influencer andthe first brand accordingly.

14. User Experience

The computer system enables users to make purchases within the augmentedvideo advertisement (e.g., without redirecting users to an externallocation or website). For example, a user may view an augmented videoadvertisement while scrolling through an online social-networkingplatform on her computing device, and the user may wish to purchase aproduct advertised in the augmented video advertisement. The computersystem can: receive a user input (e.g., click, swipe, gesture) over afirst icon rendered over the augmented video advertisement; responsiveto the user input, display a checkout portal packaged with the augmentedvideo advertisement configured to receive user and purchase information(e.g., user name, address, payment details, product details); continueplaying the augmented video advertisement in the background whiledisplaying the checkout portal; and confirm purchase of the product anddirect purchase information to an appropriate destination (e.g., brandportal, brand warehouse). Therefore, the computer system enables theuser to complete purchases of products at the original advertisement,without redirecting the user to a second location to complete thepurchase. In completing transactions at the augmented videoadvertisement, the computer system promotes a better experience for theuser by: minimizing duration to completion of a purchase; eliminatinginability to navigate to a second location; and eliminating difficultyin finding the product at the second location.

Thus, by minimizing effort required by the user to completetransactions, the computer system promotes increased conversion, whichcan be directly attributed to the appropriate influencer.

The systems and methods described herein can be embodied and/orimplemented at least in part as a machine configured to receive acomputer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions. Theinstructions can be executed by computer-executable componentsintegrated with the application, applet, host, server, network, website,communication service, communication interface,hardware/firmware/software elements of a user computer or mobile device,wristband, smartphone, or any suitable combination thereof. Othersystems and methods of the embodiment can be embodied and/or implementedat least in part as a machine configured to receive a computer-readablemedium storing computer-readable instructions. The instructions can beexecuted by computer-executable components integrated bycomputer-executable components integrated with apparatuses and networksof the type described above. The computer-readable medium can be storedon any suitable computer readable media such as RAMs, ROMs, flashmemory, EEPROMs, optical devices (CD or DVD), hard drives, floppydrives, or any suitable device. The computer-executable component can bea processor but any suitable dedicated hardware device can(alternatively or additionally) execute the instructions.

As a person skilled in the art will recognize from the previous detaileddescription and from the figures and claims, modifications and changescan be made to the embodiments of the invention without departing fromthe scope of this invention as defined in the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A method for generating advertising content comprising:during a content creation period: receiving a video advertisementcomprising content associated with a first brand and generated by afirst content creator; augmenting the video advertisement with a set offeatures to generate an augmented video advertisement, the set offeatures comprising: a set of icons overlaid the video advertisement andconfigured to receive user inputs; a first pointer to the first contentcreator configured to link instances of the augmented videoadvertisement to the first content creator; and a checkout portal forpurchasing content associated with the video advertisement; andpreparing the augmented video advertisement for publication to an onlineplatform; and during a live period succeeding the content creationperiod: for a first instance of the augmented video advertisementaccessed at a first online platform executing on a first computingdevice accessed by a first user: in response to receiving selection of afirst icon, in the set of icons, by the first user, rendering thecheckout portal at the first instance of the augmented videoadvertisement; and in response to receiving confirmation of a firstpurchase completed by the first user within the checkout portal at thefirst instance of the augmented video advertisement within the firstonline platform, crediting the first content creator for the firstpurchase based on the first pointer linked to the augmented videoadvertisement; and for a second instance of the augmented videoadvertisement accessed at a second online platform executing on a secondcomputing device accessed by a second user, crediting the first contentcreator for a second purchase completed within the checkout portal atthe second instance of the augmented video advertisement within thesecond online platform based on the first pointer.
 2. The method ofclaim 1: wherein receiving the first video advertisement comprises:during a matching period preceding the content creation period:receiving a set of opportunities from brands at instances of a brandportal; serving the set of opportunities to a first influencer in apopulation of influencers at an instance of an influencer portal basedon characteristics of the set of opportunities; receiving a firstselection of a first opportunity in the set of opportunities from theinstance of the influencer portal; calculating a predicted match scorefor a first pairing between the first influencer and the firstopportunity based on predefined opportunity metrics and influencercharacteristics; and in response to the predicted match score exceedinga threshold match score prompting the first influencer to record a firstvideo advertisement for the first opportunity; and during the contentcreation period, receiving the first video advertisement from the firstinfluencer; and wherein receiving the first video advertisementcomprising content generated by the first content creator comprisesreceiving the first video advertisement comprising content generated bythe first influencer; and wherein augmenting the first videoadvertisement with the first pointer to the first content creatorcomprises packaging the first video advertisement with the first pointerto the first influencer.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein calculatingthe first predicted match score comprises: extracting a set ofinfluencer characteristics from a first influencer profile correspondingto the first influencer; extracting a set of opportunity characteristicsdefined by the first opportunity; accessing an opportunity model linkingopportunity characteristics and influencer characteristics to targetoutcomes defined by opportunities; and calculating the first predictedmatch score for the first pairing based on the opportunity model, theset of influencer characteristics, and the set of opportunitycharacteristics.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: duringthe content creation period, augmenting the first video advertisementwith a visual element configured to track user interactions withinstances of the augmented video advertisement; and during the liveperiod: for the first instance of the augmented video advertisement,attributing a first set of interactions between the first user and thefirst instance of the augmented video advertisement to the first contentcreator based on the pointer; and for the second instance of theaugmented video advertisement, associating a second set of interactionsbetween the second user and the second instance of the augmented videoadvertisement with the first content creator based on the pointer. 5.The method of claim 4, further comprising: calculating a set ofengagement metrics based on the first set of interactions and the secondset of interactions; and distributing the set of engagement metrics tothe first content creator at an instance of an influencer portal.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein rendering the checkout portal at the firstinstance of the augmented video advertisement in response to receivingselection of the first icon comprises rendering the checkout portal atthe instance of the first augmented video advertisement in response toreceiving a touch input, entered by the first user at the firstcomputing device, over the first icon.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinrendering the checkout portal at the first instance of the augmentedvideo advertisement comprises rendering the checkout portal within aviewing window of the first computing device while playing the firstinstance of the augmented video advertisement within the viewing window.8. The method of claim 7, wherein rendering the checkout portal withinthe viewing window of the first computing device while playing the firstinstance of the augmented video advertisement within the viewing windowcomprises overlaying the first instance of the augmented videoadvertisement with the checkout portal within the viewing window of thefirst computing device while playing the instance of the first augmentedvideo advertisement, beneath the checkout portal, within the viewingwindow.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein crediting the first contentcreator for the first purchase based on the first pointer comprises:accessing an amount corresponding to the first purchase completed by thefirst user; identifying the first content creator associated with theaugmented video advertisement based on the first pointer packaged withinthe augmented video advertisement; allocating a first portion of theamount for distribution to the first content creator; and allocating asecond portion of the amount for distribution to the first brand. 10.The method of claim 9, wherein allocating the first portion of theamount for distribution to the first content creator comprises:accessing a compensation rate specified by the first brand for the firstaugmented video advertisement; calculating the first portion based onthe amount and the compensation rate; and distributing the first portionto the first content creator via an instance of an influencer portalassociated with the first content creator based on the first pointer.11. The method of claim 1, wherein augmenting the video advertisementwith the set of icons comprises overlaying the video advertisement withthe set of icons comprising: the first icon configured to triggerrendering of the checkout portal at instances of the augmented videoadvertisement responsive to user inputs; and a second icon configured totrigger rendering of a text box comprising a description of a productadvertised in the augmented video advertisement at instances of theaugmented video advertisement responsive to user inputs.
 12. A methodcomprising: during a content creation period: receiving a videoadvertisement comprising content associated with a first brand andgenerated by a first content creator; augmenting the video advertisementwith a set of features to generate an augmented video advertisement, theset of features comprising: a first pointer to the first content creatorconfigured to link instances of the augmented video advertisement to thefirst content creator; and a checkout portal for purchasing contentassociated with the video advertisement and transiently rendered withinthe augmented video advertisement responsive to user inputs; andpreparing the augmented video advertisement for publication to an onlineplatform; and during a live period succeeding the content creationperiod: for a first instance of the augmented video advertisementaccessed at a first online platform executing on a first computingdevice accessed by a first user: in response to receiving a first userinput over the first instance of the augmented video advertisement,rendering the checkout portal within the first instance of the augmentedvideo advertisement; and in response to receiving confirmation of afirst purchase completed by the first user within the checkout portalwithin the first instance of the augmented video advertisement at thefirst online platform, crediting the first content creator for the firstpurchase based on the first pointer; and for a second instance of theaugmented video advertisement accessed at a second online platformexecuting on a second computing device accessed by a second user,crediting the first content creator for a second purchase completedwithin the checkout portal within the second instance of the augmentedvideo advertisement at the second online platform based on the firstpointer.
 13. The method of claim 12: wherein augmenting the videoadvertisement with the set of features comprising the first pointer andthe checkout portal further comprises augmenting the video advertisementwith the set of features comprising the first pointer, the checkoutportal, and a set of interactive features overlaid the digitaladvertisement and configured to receive user inputs; and whereinrendering the checkout portal within the first instance of the augmentedvideo advertisement in response to receiving the first user input overthe first instance of the augmented video advertisement comprisesrendering the checkout portal within the first instance of the augmentedvideo advertisement in response to receiving the first user input over afirst interactive feature, in the set of interactive features.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein rendering the checkout portal within thefirst instance of the augmented video advertisement in response toreceiving the first user input over the first interactive featurecomprises rendering the checkout portal within the first instance of theaugmented video advertisement in response to a swipe input by the userover the first interactive feature.
 15. The method of claim 13, whereinrendering the checkout portal within the first instance of the augmentedvideo advertisement comprises rendering the checkout portal within aviewing window of the first computing device while playing the firstinstance of the augmented video advertisement within the viewing window.16. The method of claim 12, further comprising, during a matching periodpreceding the content creation period: receiving a set of opportunitiesfrom brands at instances of a brand portal; serving the set ofopportunities to a first influencer in a population of influencers at aninstance of an influencer portal based on characteristics of the set ofopportunities; receiving a first selection of a first opportunity in theset of opportunities from the instance of the influencer portal; andcalculating a predicted match score for a first pairing between thefirst influencer and the first opportunity based on predefinedopportunity metrics and influencer characteristics; and in response tothe predicted match score exceeding a threshold match score, promptingthe first influencer to record the first video advertisement for thefirst opportunity.
 17. A method comprising: during a content creationperiod: in response to receiving a first video advertisement comprisingcontent associated with a first brand and generated by a first contentcreator: augmenting the first video advertisement with a first checkoutportal for purchasing content associated with the first videoadvertisement to generate a first augmented video advertisement, thefirst checkout portal transiently rendered responsive to user inputs;packaging the first augmented video advertisement with a first pointerto the first content creator configured to link instances of the firstaugmented video advertisement published online to the first contentcreator; and preparing the first augmented video advertisement forpublication online; and in response to receiving a second videoadvertisement comprising content associated with the first brand andgenerated by a second content creator; augmenting the second videoadvertisement with a second checkout portal for purchasing contentassociated with the second video advertisement to generate a secondaugmented video advertisement, the second checkout portal transientlyrendered responsive to user inputs; packaging the second videoadvertisement with a second pointer to the second content creatorconfigured to link instances of the second augmented video advertisementpublished online to the second content creator; and preparing the secondaugmented video advertisement for publication online; and during a liveperiod succeeding the content creation period: for a first instance ofthe first augmented video advertisement accessed at a first onlineplatform executing on a first computing device accessed by a first user:in response to receiving a first user input over the first instance ofthe first augmented video advertisement, rendering the first checkoutportal within the first instance of the first augmented videoadvertisement; in response to receiving confirmation of a first purchasecompleted within the first checkout portal within the first instance ofthe first augmented video advertisement at the first online platform,crediting the first content creator for the first purchase based on thefirst pointer; and for a second instance of the second augmented videoadvertisement accessed at a second online platform executing on a secondcomputing device accessed by a second user, in response to receivingconfirmation of a second purchase completed within the second checkoutportal within the second instance of the second augmented videoadvertisement at the second online platform, crediting the secondcontent creator for the second purchase based on the second pointer. 18.The method of claim 17, further comprising, for a third instance of thefirst augmented video advertisement accessed at a third online platformexecuting on a third computing device accessed by a third user,crediting the first content creator for a third purchase completedwithin the first checkout portal rendered at the third instance of thefirst augmented video advertisement based on the first pointer.
 19. Themethod of claim 17: further comprising, during the content creationperiod: in response to receiving the first video advertisement,augmenting the first video advertisement with a first set of interactivefeatures overlaid the first video advertisement and configured toreceive user inputs; in response to receiving the second videoadvertisement, augmenting the second video advertisement with a secondset of interactive features overlaid the second video advertisement andconfigured to receive user inputs; wherein rendering the first checkoutportal within the first instance of the first augmented videoadvertisement in response to receiving the first user input over thefirst instance of the first augmented video advertisement comprisesrendering the first checkout portal within the first instance of thefirst augmented video advertisement in response to receiving the firstuser input over a first interactive feature, in the first set ofinteractive features; and wherein crediting the second content creatorfor the second purchase based on the second pointer in response toreceiving confirmation of the second purchase at the second checkoutportal further comprises: in response to receiving a second user inputover a second interactive feature, in the second set of interactivefeatures, rendering the second checkout portal within the secondinstance of the second augmented video advertisement; and in response toreceiving confirmation of the second purchase at the second checkoutportal, crediting the second content creator for the second purchasebased on the second pointer.
 20. The method of claim 19, whereinrendering the first checkout portal within the first instance of thefirst augmented video advertisement in response to receiving the firstuser input over the first interactive feature comprises rendering thefirst checkout portal within the first instance of the first augmentedvideo advertisement in response to receiving a first touch input over afirst icon rendered within the first augmented video advertisement.